


"Welcome to the rest of your life."

by QueenC



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Closure, Established Relationship, Hannah's tapes, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nostalgia, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenC/pseuds/QueenC
Summary: Charlie never quite understood all the fuss about the tapes. That is to say, he found it hard to get why would anyone ever leave any tapes, in the first place. Alex speaks his heart and he maybe sees a thing or two from his boyfriend's perspective.(Or, what happened after they buried Hannah's tapes.)
Relationships: Charlie St. George/Alex Standall
Comments: 12
Kudos: 103





	"Welcome to the rest of your life."

**Author's Note:**

> Canadian_31 suggested me to write a Chalex scene taking place after they buried Hannah's tapes at the end of ep10. I'll admit I had never thought of writing anything about that specific part but decided to give it a go, and quite liked how it came out, in the end. Also, I took the opportunity to try things from Charlie's perspective again, which is always a bit harder for me, but I'm trying to get used to it. Hope you enjoy this one!

Dusk was starting to fall when Charlie and Alex made their way back into the quarterback's car. After their friends had departed, with hugs and goodbyes and promises to stay in touch, they had remained at the top of the cliff, watching as the sun slowly sank over the city. They hadn't planned to. It just happened, as Charlie threw an arm around Alex's shoulders and pulled him closer to rest against his chest. As Alex nested his head in the crook of Charlie's neck and breathed him in, feeling safe and light for the first time in what felt like years. And so they stood there, unaware of time passing, appreciating each other's closeness after such emotional last events.

The sky was going from a pale shade of orange to deep purple, and all in all, Charlie thought it had been a beautiful day. Not only for the visuals of sky and sun and vivid green grass that grew wild around them. More than that, it had been beautiful in a nostalgic, end-of-an-era kind of way. The end of the day arrived with a sense that it was finally bringing some very deserved closure to a bunch of kids in Crestmont.

Charlie wasn't naive to assume he understood to what lengths such closure went. He now felt like a part of the group, but his sense of belonging also came with the awareness that there were many experiences his friends had shared that he hadn't been a part of. He didn't think he could possibly guess how each person that had stood on that cliff was feeling while burying those tapes. But truly, only one person mattered the most to him in the aftermath of all this. And as he stopped before reaching for the car door handle, Charlie looked up at his boyfriend, trying to assess his general mood as they turned their backs on what now felt like a sacred place.

“You ok?” Charlie asked softly. Alex seemed deep in thought, hands shoved inside his pockets, but there were no lines in his forehead, and the set of his shoulders wasn't in a slump. Good signs.

It took the older boy a few seconds to come up with an answer, Charlie's words registering but prompting no immediate response. He seemed unsure of how to convey his feelings into words. Alex leaned against the car hood, eyes still lost in the sky as the sun disappeared behind the city. It shaded his face in planes and angles, bringing forward the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones. Charlie was struck then, not for the first time, by how beautiful he was.

“I don't really know how I feel,” Alex confessed with a half-hearted shrug. He turned his eyes to his boyfriend, scanning his face, but Charlie could tell his mind was elsewhere. “We've been through so much that now it feels weird not to have to worry.” He took a deep breath, shuddering as he let it out heavily through his nose. “I feel like I was so used to constantly watch over my shoulder that I'm not sure how to go about life now that I don't need to anymore.”

Charlie stepped closer, placing his hands on his boyfriend's hips and looking down at him with an inquisitive look. “Are you sure? Cause I always thought you so chill,” he joked, earning a mighty eye roll and a light shove to his chest. Chuckling, he leaned in and pressed his lips affectionately to Alex's forehead. “You were so strong during all this,” Charlie whispered, words like a caress over the older boy's skin. “I take it from the part I was around to see. It was kind of amazing to watch.”

“I'm not sure _strong_ is the word I'd choose,” objected Alex, throwing Charlie a doubtful look. “I was falling apart, like, multiple times. Actually, most of the time, I had no idea what I was doing.”

“Yet you tried to do right by your friends every chance you had,” insisted Charlie, shaking Alex lightly to get his point across. “Don't sell yourself short. There's much more to you than you allow yourself to see.”

“Is that so?” Alex arched his eyebrows, amused, arms lifting to rest on his boyfriend's shoulders, circling around his neck in a close embrace. Charlie nodded, staring down into the blue of Alex's eyes. They looked a shade darker in the twilight.

“I'm pretty sure it is, yes. You just have to look a little closer,” stated Charlie with confidence.

“Uh-huh. Is that what you've been doing these past few months?” Alex tilted his head, the corners of his lips lifting slightly in a mild attempt to hold back a smile.

Charlie scoffed. “Oh, you underestimate me. That's what I've been doing ever since we started to hang out more.”

Alex's eyebrows dipped into a furrow, but the smile grew wider on his lips. “That's slightly creepy, you know. Should I be concerned?”

“Shut up. We both know you thrive under my attentions,” argued Charlie, bending his head to stick his nose into the curve of Alex's neck and, obviously, prove his point.

Alex startled out a laugh, closing his eyes and pulling his boyfriend closer to him. They remained like this for a while, hearts beating steadily against each other, breaths mingling when Alex turned his head to rest his forehead against Charlie's.

“I think she'd be happy. If she could have seen us all today somehow,” Alex said after what felt like a long time, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. He didn't need to specify who he was talking about. Given the recent events, Charlie could make an accurate guess. “She did have an impact on all of us, we were forever changed ever since those tapes. I think she accomplished what she wanted, then.”

“And what was that?” Charlie frowned. Try as he might, the possible motivations behind recording the tapes had always eluded his understanding.

Alex shrugged, eyes downcast as he once again seemed to drift into his thoughts. “She wanted us to acknowledge what we'd done, I believe. To take a long, hard look at ourselves and claim our share of responsibility.” His lips curved into a crooked smile, and he shook his head as he tried to sort through his mind. “I don't think Hannah, or anyone for that matter, could have anticipated what her actions would unravel.”

“That sounds a little mean, to be honest,” said Charlie hesitantly.

“Oh, we never said it wasn't mean of her. But we were meaner to her first, back then. I don't know if it evens things out, or if it's even possible, but thinking of her today doesn't make me ache anymore,” said Alex, lifting his gaze to the place where they had buried the tapes a few hours earlier. “I did all there was to do within my power to do right by her, and I like to believe I've learned a lot, from the Alex Standall she once knew to the one I am today. I feel kind of at peace,” he admitted, sounding a little wavering. He shifted his eyes to Charlie, searching for reassurance. “And I think she would want us to feel so. She was too sweet to wish for us to feel bad for the rest of our lives.”

Charlie nodded, mildly impressed that for the first time he was maybe understanding a little bit more about the mess that had preceded his arrival on the group. It wasn't a forbidden topic, but it wasn't one for light conversations either. As a general rule, there was an unspoken agreement of not bringing up the tapes or Hannah's death unless it was strictly necessary. Charlie could understand that. He wasn't comfortable talking about it either, and he hadn't even been directly involved in the whole thing.

“I suppose it gives you guys some comfort to move on without feeling guilty as you look back?” Charlie tried. He usually didn't like to assume to know what Alex might be feeling, but this one was particularly hard for him to grasp. When Alex nodded, Charlie felt a smile reaching his lips. “It's good that you got to do this together. That way, you can leave it all behind.”

“Yeah, or at least, start to,” agreed Alex. “It doesn't go away all of a sudden. But I have things ahead of me now, things I want to do. It kind of helps not to focus so much on the past.”

Charlie didn't even try to hide the joy on his face as he heard Alex speaking so surely about the future. “Welcome to the rest of your life, then. How does it feel?” he stared down at his boyfriend, curious.

“Like _fucking finally_ ,” muttered Alex, shaking his head. “I can't wait to leave this hellish town and all of its messy shit behind.” He paused, looking up at Charlie, eyes twinkling on the poorly lit roadside. “Except you, though. You, I might be inclined to steal from this place every now and then.”

“Oh, really?” Charlie raised his eyebrows, amused. “What's the plan here? Squeeze me into your bags on your way to Berkeley?”

“Yeah, something like that,” said Alex simply. A lazy grin spread across his lips, and Charlie was charmed to no end. “I just found you. There's no way I'm letting you escape that easily.” 

“You won't see me trying”, guaranteed Charlie, fingers threading through Alex's hair, nails grazing his scalp gently. Alex hummed in appreciation, eyes falling shut. “I'm into this. Into us. I'm committed.” 

“I believe you,” Alex chuckled. “I am, too. I am also glad I stuck around to get to meet you.”

So much went unsaid in his words, but the overall feeling left Charlie weak on the knees. When Alex lifted his chin to press his lips against his boyfriend's, Charlie held on to that feeling and sent his thanks up to whatever force of destiny had allowed Alex to be there with him now. His fingers tightened on Alex's hair as he deepened the kiss. He knew he was falling harder by the day, and for a while there it had felt scary to be that much involved with someone. Especially when he didn't know if Alex would allow himself to return his feelings.

From where he stood now, there was nothing scary about it anymore. He loved Alex, and he would continue to do so with all he could for as long as Alex would let him. If Charlie had to risk a guess, he would bet that Alex was willing to let him do it for quite a while now.

When they finally made it into the car, the evening had already settled in. They were the last ones to leave the cliff, and Charlie didn't think they would ever return to that spot again. It belonged to a past that, as painful as it was, wouldn't come back to haunt them anymore.

They had things to look forward to now. And from what it seemed, they would be looking at them together. Charlie smiled at the prospect. He was totally on board with that.

**Author's Note:**

> I will probably add this one to my ongoing series, but as I have no idea how many stories I'll still write until we get to this point, I'll leave it to add it to the series later. As always, thank you so much for reading <3


End file.
